OK. After having numerous requests, I have started this so we can all have a rave about our furbabies.

Last sunday my husband and I adopted a 10 month old cat from L'Ecole du Chat. I am in love and do not know how I went so long without a furbaby in my life.

The ecole is a cat society that saves abandoned or injured animals and finds homes for them. All the cats are desexed, vaccinated and tatooed before being rehoused. They do this for cats of all ages. You can find them on the internet if you type in "l"ecole du chat Paris".

I found out about the ecole through a friend here in Paris. Apparently they started at the Cimetiere de Montmartre, looking after the cats which lived in there. After many years they now operate out of peoples homes and have a group of volunteers who take in the cats and nurse them back to health, or tame them enough to be housepets if they are wild.

When you take a cat you must fill in adoption papers and they come and do a housecheck to make sure everything is ok after a few weeks. If they are not happy with you as parents, then you cannot keep the cat. Personally I think it is a good idea as you must be positive that you can look after your adopted furbaby and it will not be dumped again.

Don't think there is much chance of this one being taken back by the society.... he is spoilt rotten already. Everyone laughed at me today when I said that his cat toys came from Galleries Lafayette...... My justification is that nothing is too good for my baby, and the sales were on, and I also have a 10% discount card, and, and, and, ok so lets just face it, I love to spoil cats. I admit it.

We went and looked at the cats (there were over 20!! ) and wound up choosing a little male who had a lovely personality and a fabulous rumbling purr. We took a "responsible adult" with us (thanks Griffin for that phrase) so that I only came home with one baby and not 5 or 6. It was so tempting to just take as many as I could carry..... sigh

He was being called "Bill", which we didn't like, so we changed it to Guillaume and are calling him Guy la Griffe (Bill the Claw). After 4 days he is answering to Guy (pronounced ghee) and has settled in fabulously. Anyone would think he had lived here all his life.

He is so affectionate and such wonderful company, I have been calling him my little shadow. If I attempt to sit down he is in my lap before my bottom has hit the seat. When I clean my teeth he has to be on teh edge of the basin smooging and loving me. Which ever room I am in he is right there with me. While I am typing he is asleep beside me on a cushion.

Not sure how to attach a picture, so will wait till my husband gets home and can show me.

Guy is a sort of tabby pattern. He is cream with honey and gold highlights and chocolate brown markings. He has more spots than stripes. Under his paws and the tip of his tail are black. Very pretty. My husband keeps saying "she" and having to be corrected. He reckons it is because he is too pretty to be a boy cat....

Anyway, I could rave about him for days, so will press submit and wait to hear about everyone else's furbabies._________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

Oh this Guillaume ("more spots than stripes"--I believe you counted!) is so in the right family! He'll want for nothing from now on, it's obvious.
Little fish pies for little Ghee, your little butter dish. Griffin will burst into song I hope, song for Guy, song of Guy, song to Guy--something.
Those people from the L'Ecole are going to be pretty darn surprised to see how fast that cat can read when they arrive to inspect!

Can't wait to see a pic. And just so you know, cats work well in pairs.

We once had 4 in a fairly small apartment but it had lots of sunny grass surrounding it and they had a window they could go in and out through. Nevertheless, we decided 3 was our personal max. So that's what we've got: 3 cats and 2 dogs.

A little welcome gift for Guy is on it's way. _________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Let's hear it for adopting pets! Currently, I have 3 & 1/2 cats. The "half" is actually the neighbor's tomcat, who knows I'll feed him. My oldest cat, BB, is 14 yrs, a classic calico (tortoiseshell & white) who is either snuggly or cranky, and thinks I'm her slave.

A month ago, I found a beautiful kitten roaming in the Wal Mart parking lot. He was very tame, and I'm pretty sure he'd been "dumped" there, it happens all the time. I couldln't bear to think of him getting run over, so I took him home. Turns out he's a Russian Blue, true to breed standard except his eyes lean a bit too much toward olive green. He's totally spoiled, and I've named him Twilight. He's now 14 weeks old.

Three days ago, an acquaintance showed up at my door, cat carrier in hand. He was moving to Ft. Worth & couldn't take his cat, Spirit. She's an 18 month old calico-siamese mix with ginger, gray, brown, and beige spots on white & has beautiful blue eyes. She's very shy (hence the name she already came with) and is currently in hiding. I wish she'd come out, She enjoys being held & petted, but is afraid in this new space.

The 2 older ones have been spayed & the kitten will be neutered as soon as he's old enough. I want my kitties to have long, safe lives, so they are indoor cats, unless I'm outside in the front courtyard of my cottage, which I've let grow wild to provide an outdoor play area. Then they can come out if they want, since I can watch them closely.

A delightful post Debbie. I'm not good with animals or gardens. I wish I was but I just can't seem to chose the right pet or keep plants alive. We once bought a dog when the children were little. It became really and I mean really angry if you went near it when it was eating. We had to give it away as we were afraid it would bite the children._________________Barbara

My buddy "Moo" an orange feral cat that came to me as a stray kitten traveled everywhere with my husband & I. One fine spring & summer in 1997 we drove from N. California through Oregon, Washington & Vancouver to Juneau Alaska. Most of this exceptional drive "Moo" was on the dashboard watching the world go by & napping without a care. Truly a great travel buddy.
While he was in his twilight years he suffered from kidney failure. During the past three months I was giving him 150cc intravenous fluids each morning, and hand feeding him 4-5 x daily. The end came yesterday when we both decided that his pain was too much for him to bear.
He was so brave, much more than I and died in my arms. I will miss him dearly. I am so sad..._________________better bread for all...

Queekie- What is there to say when the hurt is so clear? I can still get teary remembering cats we had 40 years ago so I know what you're going through. Still, what's also clear is that he brought you a lot of joy and left you with many memories that will always be with you.

I hope you'll be enjoying them again one day before long._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

A spotted and striped cat? I've never really seen that before, but Debbie you sound terribly happy with your new furbaby. I have to agree with Rainey though, cats work very well in pairs. With two cats, life becomes an endless adventure. Really.

I have two kitties of my own, Kobe is the younger ginger cat, he's heavy, and has this funny pouch thing hanging off his belly so when he runs it swings from side to side. We adopted Kobe from the shelter at 4 weeks old and nicknamed him the little orange rat because his tail injury made him look a little rat-like and he has this weird habit of always sucking on our fingers, even now at 1 1/2 years old. Big baby. The other one, Spock, we found on the 12th floor lift lobby. He doesn't seem too bright, since he likes jumping on narrow window ledges and risking falls from 9 sfloors up, BUT he can sit, stay and come when bribed to. He's adorable too, his markings makes him look like he's wearing a tux and white socks on all four feet. He's also got this ear piercing, mournful sounding meow he lets loose at 5 am every morning to wake me up so he gets breakfast. They're probably the only kids I'll ever have and I spoil them accordingly.

And think of the life Queekie gave to Moo! How many feral cats, after all, get to sit on the dashboard taking in the West Coast? Not too shabby!

I have a feeling there will be adventures ahead for M. Guy le Griffe too. _________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Oh Queekie, my heart is aching for you. We had to have our furbaby in Australia put down as she was too old and ill to make the flight to Paris. I cried for weeks. Even now I get all choked up thinking about her.

Tam was a tortoiseshell feral cat (the size of a dog) who I adopted at a few weeks of age. For the first month I carried her everywhgere with me in a sling around my neck, in an attempt to calm and tame her. It worked and she was the most faithful friend. Used to play soccer with my friends kids and would ambush our cattle dog and next doors border collie with great glee!

I think cats that have had a hard start can quite often make the best pets as they know they are being looked after and loved.... ok spoilt rotten in my case...

Brighidsdaughter, good on you for adopting kitties in need. It is one thing that I believe in strongly and I am always pleased to hear other peoples stories about adopting these cats.

Well, must go as someone... not mentioning any little Guy names... has had to be put in time out for a few minutes. He was trying to get under our massive art deco cabinet, which he then gets stuck in due to the cables from tv etc. Think I need to spend some quality time with my baby instead of being on teh computer._________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

All my sympathies to you. I still remember our Manfred who was a rescue cat who became a close and dear friend. I was his sofa! There was the time I went to work in London and apparently he went all over the house looking for me and miaowing pitifully. When I got home I got the dirtiest look, which only went after giving him a lap for an hour. He was the third cat who lived with us, after Locksley and Possum. Tho' Possum adopted us and was no rescue cat.

I also love the fact that Guillaume came from the Cat School! Summoned one day to the principal's office and shown his new parents, then taken to a new home and spoilt rotten - poor thing!!

Hmm, the song of Guy... I like to think, given his name of Guy la Griffe that he was once an apache living on the streets, prowling among rooftops and dark alleyways...

They call me Guy la Griffe
And I'm dead sharp as my teeth.
Guy la Griffe - to be said like a curse,
I made sure I've been called worse,
By the many owners of fish emporia
And Montmartre's Madame Gloria;
And rich women with dogs like rats
And the Eglise de Saint-Sulpice bats.
Bah! But I prowl, therefore I am.

Call me what anything that you will,
But don't you dare to call me Bill,
I'm the leopard tiger, Guy la Griffe
With eyes like moons, ears like a lynx
And an attitude like the mystic sphinx
I know all the allees, rues and boulevards
And in every game Guy has all the cards.
For I prowl, therefore I am.

I was taken to school, laughing a tout
And taught all of them a thing or two
About the ways of street Guy L'apache
Cat of electric fur and brave panache;
Claws like pale onyx, tail like a whip,
The low cat slink and sway of hip,
To prowl for therefore I am.

The slink, the prowl and promenade,
These I know sweet like lemonade,
My panache high, waving a la lune,
I am sans-souci de gloire ou de fortune
For all is one and one is all to me
Je suis, tout griffes et douce, Guy,
But I prowl, therefore I am.

Thank you all for your kind words.
Yes it is hard, however good friends, food & drink always seem to get you through when times are distressed. I raise my glass to all of you who make this world a better place._________________better bread for all...

Debbie, I'm so happy that you found such a loving puss to share your home. He sounds like he knows which side his bread is buttered on! He definitely got a good thing! And I'm curious about the tatoo - is it a heart that has "Mum" across it in script or an anchor and chain on his bicep? Here, more and more, we use "microchips" under the skin to register & identify our pets in case they get lost.

Queekie, we lost our fabulous Pandora this year after a very short, but acute illness - probably cancer. She was fine one day and we had to let her go two weeks later after a fair amount of intervention - including the sub-cutaneous fluids for dehydration. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I was relieved she didn't linger on and on suffering. (And I hope someone will be able to help me in the same way, if I'm ever in her shoes).

I send you my sincere sympathies. I know just how hard it is.

Griffin - brilliant poem! Just perfect for this little Guy!

Our menagerie is now down to Wallace the Lhaso Apso, Gromit the Border Terrier and Zeus, le chat Extraordinaire!

A neighborhood dog came after the perennially neurotic Wally last night and he is just a WRECK today. He has a tiny boo boo on his foot and he acts like it's been amputated. If he doesn't calm down by tonight, I will take him to the vet tomorrow to see if there is more damage that I can't see. We call him The Delicate Flower because he is SUCH a Drama King. Gromit, you could throw across the room and she would bound back saying "Neat game, let's play some more!" Wally - if you pluck a hair from his tail, he yelps like he's being butchered! So now, he's the boy that cried wolf...I can't tell if he's hurt (there are no visible signs) or just wants sympathy!_________________L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

Dogs' feet are pretty sensitive. We had to take the monster Odie who is immune to almost everything to the vet with a sore paw that turned out to be some seed casing (one of those things designed to get caught in fur or clothing for disseminating). It had embedded in the webbing between his toes and the vet had to pull it the rest of the way through to get rid of it.

Hope Wallace is feeling better soon. But maybe you want to examine that webbing that's a lot more tender than the foot pads._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor